Chapter 14: A Miracle & A Bargain

When the lookout first spotted the smoke in the distance Commodore James Norrington fought to damper the surge of rampant hope rising in his breast. Their search had yielded too many disappointments to date. It had been so long. Too long.

Elizabeth Swann had been missing for a full month.

It would be nothing short of a miracle to find her alive now.

And yet as they neared closer, and the tiny island came into view in his spyglass, that tiny flame within him soon blazed once more.

There was a huge fire upon the island, a fire that would have been quite unlikely to have started by itself.

The thought occurred to him that there could be pirates nearby, taking advantage of the remote location to careen their ship, but there was no ship in sight.

Just fire, and a column of smoke that smoldered over a hundred feet into the sky.

The Dauntless weighed anchor and the crew began readying the longboat. He and nine others would go ashore. More than enough to handle trouble, if there was any to be found. James always made an effort to keep a stalwart appearance for his men, it was his duty as captain of a Navy vessel, but he could hardly contain his excitement. The commodore twitched in his seat at the prow of the longboat, his fingers restlessly drumming upon the polished pommel of his rapier.

There were tracks upon the beach. Most were old, but some appeared fairly recent. Quietly they followed the trail in the direction of the fire, muskets at the ready. They did not walk far before the most arresting sight befell the troop of men.

Set back in the shade of the trees was a crudely constructed hut, thatched with palm fronds, a blinding array of seashells set out in patterns in the front. The cheerful façade starkly contrasted with the contents of the structure. Two people lay inside, sleeping. They were filthy and ragged, brown as leather, ravaged by the merciless Caribbean sun and hunger.

James' heart pounded in his chest, feeling uncharacteristically lightheaded.

He would know that mane of golden hair anywhere.

It was Elizabeth.

And she was clasped firmly in the arms of that damnable pirate Jack Sparrow.

"Seize him!" ordered James with ill-concealed fury. Two marines wasted no time in raiding the little hut, dragging the pirate out and to his feet. Bewildered, Jack looked about with wide eyes. "Oi!" he protested, struggling against his captors. He was far too weak to have any hope of breaking away.

"Jack!"

It was the first time James had heard Elizabeth's voice in a month. That sweet voice he cherished, that he thought he would never hear again. And to hear that name upon her lips filled with such reverence and concern, set forth within him a burbling black feeling: jealousy.

Elizabeth attempted to get out of the hut, but hardly had the energy to stand. "Milady, you're safe now," said James, holding out a hand to her.

She stared at his hand as one might regard a venomous snake, those copper colored eyes gone wild. For a brief moment it seemed the entire company went quiet, watching their commander and the woman he'd sought for so long.

Elizabeth raised her gaze to James', taking in his hazel colored irises that danced with something she hardly recognized in him. She glanced to Jack clasped roughly between two redcoats, her bedraggled hero, and back to the man before her in his crisp uniform, white wig freshly curled around his ears.

Civilization had found them.

Though this would be the rescue she'd hoped for, she also realized in that instant, through all her pain and hunger and light headed delirium that the fight for Jack's life was not over. One look into James Norrington's eyes, and she knew her work still was not done.

And so she placed her shaking hand into James', allowing him to pull her to her feet, accepting a supporting arm about her waist. "Why James. What a pleasant surprise," she said, as though he'd dropped by unexpectedly for tea. It was painful to speak, her voice scratchy in her throat for lack of water.

Yet another wave of lightheadedness washed over James as he squeezed her hand in his. Even in her current state, dirty and mused in a threadbare chemise, Elizabeth Swann could bring him to his knees, at least mentally, with just a look.

"I apologize for not finding you sooner, Miss Swann," he found himself saying, feeling quite stupefied in the process.

Elizabeth gave a dismissive wave, as though it was no grand thing one way or the other. "Better late than never, Commodore. Is that the Dauntless?"

James glanced to his ship sitting prettily in the distance, bobbing in the waves. "It is, my lady."

"Splendid. We'll be home in no time." She wavered on her feet, and felt the Commodore's grip tighten upon her. She looked across to meet Jack's eyes, and the symbolism was lost on neither of them. A sinking feeling spread in her stomach, and she wished Jack could read her mind. I will not forsake you, she thought, willing him to know.

For once, and perhaps wisely, Jack kept quiet.

She slid her arm through James', as though they were to take a stroll through Hyde Park, and not across the scalding hot sands to the longboat that would deliver them back to civilization. "Shall we?"

"Of course. To the boats!" James ordered, and Elizabeth flinched for the rough way the redcoats dragged Jack forward. She could not bite her tongue.

"Have a care, if you please, gentlemen," she called with all her remaining strength. "That man has kept me alive all this time, I will have you know. He deserves your utmost civility."

He deserves to be sainted, she thought, but thought better of voicing that aloud to the good Commodore. His face was quite red enough as it was.

The marines adjusted their hold upon Jack slightly, no longer intentionally hurting him, though certainly not gentle. "Come along, you," they instructed gruffly.

The troop's progress across the sand paused, the marine's staring with wonder at something upon the sand. Elizabeth craned her neck to see what had the forward most men pointing and exclaiming.

"What's going on?" demanded James.

"Turtles, sir!" exclaimed one man, whose name Elizabeth thought might be Murdoch. "Lil' wee ones!"

A laugh that sounded like a sob tore from between Elizabeth's lips. She slipped out of James' grasp, pushing to the front to see.

Dozens of baby turtles, just like their behemoth mother in miniature, pushed themselves towards the crashing waves. Their little flippers worked furiously to propel themselves across the sand. Still laughing, her heart filled with wonder, Elizabeth fell to her knees, picking one up. It paused momentarily in its struggling to look upon her with a sage expression, its diminutive mouth curled up in a smile. Gently she put it down, and pushed to her feet. She didn't know where she found the strength, but she staggered to Jack, throwing her arms around his neck, laughing and crying all at the same time. "They survived!" she exclaimed between hiccups. "We all survived!"

The marines were so surprised that they actually released the pirate, leaving the ragged pair to embrace on the beach. The troop watched the marooners, all perfectly bewildered by the Governor's daughter's behavior.

"There, there, luv," soothed Jack, patting her back. "That's right, everyone's surviving. Like a storybook ending, eh? There, there."

Jack pulled Elizabeth close, burying his face in her hair, savoring her softness and her scent. This would be the last time he ever held her in his arms. Of that he was certain. For when he looked up from Elizabeth's boney shoulder he met the Commodore's stare, and read his death in James Norrington's furious green eyes.

Upon boarding the Dauntless James immediately set to barking orders. "Take Miss Swann to my cabin. Bring blankets, food, and water. Tell cook to kill a chicken immediately. She needs proper sustenance."

The thought of hot broth and savory moist chicken meat between her teeth immediately caused Elizabeth to salivate. A midshipman, a young lad by the name of Carver who stood tall as her shoulder, came forth with a blanket. He placed it about her shoulders, leading her gently towards the companionway. "This way, Miss."

She was terribly weak. She didn't know how she was still standing, and if she didn't eat something soon she felt certain she really would fall over and die. And yet she still found the strength to turn from the midshipman, protesting, "Captain Sparrow also requires food and water." If James threw him in the brig without rations she knew Jack would soon succumb, and the thought filled her with the most unbearable dread.

Again James felt that wretched roil of jealousy in his gut, black and thick as tar, at hearing the way Elizabeth said the pirate's name. Captain Sparrow. Indeed.

For a man who strove all his life towards excellence, James had never been the most of anything. He was the middle son of five boys, and had never been the smartest, the tallest, the most handsome, the most loved. He was constantly overshadowed in his career by men with richer fathers or better luck. He lived his life according to the rules but it had never gotten him anywhere in life except farther in debt. Just once, in Elizabeth, in beautiful, well-born, intelligent, lively Elizabeth, he thought he had managed to achieve the best of something. A fine woman. A fine wife. What more could he want?

He remembered the way she had looked upon this pirate on the dock, the day James asked her to marry him. It was the way she was looking at Jack now, in this very instant. As though Jack was something precious and admired and deserving of preservation.

It was the way she was supposed to look at him, Commodore James Norrington.

James thought about Elizabeth being on this island with the pirate, alone, for a whole month. It positively filled his bones with a seething anger and jealousy. It made James want to erase the pirate from existence. He was not a man who usually killed in cold blood, but he had been directed to eradicate pirates from these waters. Jack Sparrow most certainly was a pirate.

"Captain Sparrow?" asked James, nodding to his men. The marines released Jack from their grasp, pushing him to the deck. Jack fell like a sack of stones, unable to muster much energy to catch himself. Usually he was very good at talking himself out of a bad situation, and yet this time nothing came to him.

He was so tired.

Elizabeth was safe now, and he was exhausted, so weak he could hardly move.

Here it comes he thought. At long last.

Really, he never thought he'd live this long. He'd cheated death so many times.

"I don't recall a Captain Sparrow," said James, looking over the crumpled pirate at his feet. "I believe we found Miss Swann on this godforsaken island all alone. Isn't that right, men?"

The men gave an agreeable hurrah in unison. "Hang 'em," said one.

"Throw 'em over," said another. "Shouldn't 'ave even brought 'em aboard."

Jack winced as a polished black boot found its way into his ribcage, and the world began to fade slowly down a tunnel when another boot found his head. Lovely. Stellar examples of good ol' fashioned English bravery, the lot o' ye.

Vaguely he was aware of Elizabeth crying out.

Don't cry, Lizzy. S'alright. Ol' Jack's just going to have a little rest.

"You can't be serious," protested Elizabeth, rushing to confront James. She lost her balance, nearly barreling headlong into the Commodore. "James, no! Stop this, at once! You can't! This is immoral and…illegal!"

James caught her with two hands upon her shoulders. In a lower voice not meant for the men's ears, he said, "It is what's best for the sake of your reputation, Miss Swann. Much better to leave this dirty pirate out of the equation, I assure you."

"Hang my reputation!" she shouted, her fiery temper getting the better of her. "He's a good man!"

"Hear that, men? She says hang him!" said James, a surprisingly cruel light glinting in his green eyes, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Aye!" shouted the crew, fetching a line and fashioning a noose.

"Give 'er thirteen good turns, eh Gilly!"

"Throw this over the yardarm!" shouted another, and a deckhand scrambled up to toss the rope. The crew was eager for some excitement. They'd been sailing around for what felt like an eternity without seeing a bit of action. Hanging a notorious pirate seemed like a triumphant way to start the morning. It would make for an excellent story, at any rate, when they got back to Port Royal.

Jack was vaguely aware of something scratchy looping around his throat, and cinching tight.

Elizabeth shook her head, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. Had they survived so much just to end it like this? "You can't do this!" she protested, gripping the lapels of James' coat. "This is wrong! He saved my life!" She tried to go to Jack, but the Commodore prevented her.

She was too weak. She couldn't fight him. She could hardly even speak.

With Elizabeth clasped in his arms, this woman he coveted to have as his own, a sudden idea unfurled in James' mind. A sneaky little whisper, a wicked little laugh echoed in the back of his head. She could be yours after all it seemed to say. If you have the courage to take her.

A long finger hooked under her chin, turning her tear filled gaze up to meet the Commodore's. "Perhaps I could be merciful," he said quietly, in a tone meant only for her ears. "If I were to make it a wedding present?"

Elizabeth gasped.

And she thought Jack was the pirate?

That James would even think to force her into such a trade offended her every sensibility. And yet she didn't have time to be offended. Jack didn't have time for such silly things. Heart pounding, she quickly answered, "We will need to discuss exact terms. During which you will release him, and treat him well. Food. Water. Immediately."

Slowly James nodded, fighting not to grin like a fool.

"Belay that!" he ordered, and the men who had been ready to hoist upon the line and hang the pirate paused, looking to the Commodore with confusion.

"Sir?"

"Let him down." James waved at the rope dismissively. "Take that off."

Jack inhaled a rasping breath as the rope was removed from his throat. He opened one eye, to see Lizzy standing in the Commodore's arms.

Was he in Hell?

"Take him to the brig," ordered the Commodore. "See that he is brought food and water."

"Aye, Commodore."

Elizabeth watched as a barely conscious Jack was hauled off towards the hold. He would live. For now, they both would live.

Now, she could rest.

The world began to spin away as finally she began to lose consciousness. For the second time in James' presence, she fainted dead away. James scooped her into his arms, and the Commodore carried her towards his cabin.

A/n: Thank you everyone for your reviews, favorites, and follows! It really makes my day to find them in my inbox in the morning! :) Hope you enjoyed!